The group, which is thought to be England’s only example of the animals living in the wild, could be ‘recaptured and re-homed’ under plans announced by the department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) in June.

In response, the Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) is set to host a meeting at The Institute on Tuesday, August 19, at 3pm and 7.30pm to find out what residents think. The DWT believes the beavers should be left alone. However the charity will only fight for them to stay if the animals are monitored and there is sufficient local support.

But officials at Defra say that because it is not known where the beavers came from, they could be carrying a disease not currently present in the UK.

Anyone unable to attend the meeting can email their views to devonwildbeavers@devonwildlifetrust.org.